US2670228A - Ball swivel, tripod assembly head - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 23, 1954 R. J. PAGLIUSO BALL. SWIVEL, TRIPOD ASSEMBLY HEAD Fild March 5, 1951 4444/ 0R, 7?: Ze 7-217. @Tz'usd Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,670,228 BALL SWIVEL, TRIPOD ASSEMBLY HEAD Robert J. Pagliuso, La Canada, Calif. Application March 5, 1951, Serial No. 213,975 3 Claims. (01. zen-s7) This invention is a tripod head assembly characterized by a tilting, swivel camera screw and other features.

Heretofore camera tripod heads have included a body on which there was a table-like member having a rigid screw onto which a camera was removably screwed and, generally, a radial set screw formed a device to fix the camera in a given lens-axis position on the tripod. The disadvantage of the said set screw was that it could take any of a great number of sometimed awkward positions around the head of the tripod. With that in view an object is, by the instant intripod head and at the same time be rotatively And in this connecclutch collar frictionally engaging a part of the camera screw and purposed to wholly eliminate the aforementioned set screw.

Also, an achieved intent of the invention is to provide a rotative control or locking clamp or finger-sleeve for quick set or quick release of the said collar, and, as to this feature, there is provided an anti-turning lock interposed between the effective clutch collar and its finger rotated sleeve so that rotating torque cannot be transferred to the collar, after the camera screw has been selectively adjusted, while the said sleeve is being turned either to set or to release the collar.

The invention further provides a main body having a seat feature in which a ball part of the camera screw is operatively mounted without other than tilting and/or rotational capacity. As to this characteristic there is provided means whereby to automatically control the camera screw at such times that the clutch collar frees the said screw to allow its selective adjustment.

The invention resides in certain advancements in the tripod art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose constructions, combinations and details of means and manner of operation will be manifest in the following description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations, adaptations and equivalents may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principles of the invention as it is claimed in conclusion hereof.

Figure 1 is an elevation, in partial, axial section of the head. Figure 2 is a sectional detail of the anti-rotation, clutch control. Figure 3 is a top plan of the head.

As here embodied the head includes a preferably die-cast, hollow body 2 of generally cylindrical form and having a central, tubular hub 3' whose lower end is internally threaded at 4 to receive a complementary screw (not shown) of a tripod to which the head is afiixable.

The top end of the body 2 is provided with a coaxial, spherically concave seat 5 complementary to ball part 6 from which upwardly extends a knob 6b having a peripheral knurl 6k wherewithal to facilitate rocking and/or rotating the ball on its said seat 5. Projecting coaxially from and integral with the knob is a camera receiving screw (is. By merely rotating the knob and its seated ball 6 the given camera can be attached to the instant head with no need of rotating, inconveniently, a hand-held camera.

Means for clamping the screw ball 6 onto its seat 5 here embodies a collar 1 having a friction of clutch seat 70, fitting the ball 6 around a zone above the center of the ball and the colent lugs 8a taking into respective outside pockets 2p, Fig. 2, in the upper, outer corner of the body 2, so that the washer cannot rotate on the body. Resting on the washer 8 is a thrust ring 9 which is engaged by an inturned pressure flange l0 of pressure generating or looking sleeve III which is threaded at H on the exterior of the body 2. It will be seen from the above that by turning the sleeve H1 in one direction the pressure flange will force the washer downward and pull the clutch collar firmly down on the ball 6 and bind it on the body seat 5 and therefore lock the camera screw 6s at any position of adjustment. If the clutch operating sleeve is rotated in the reverse direction then the ball is left free to rock or to rotate; but in either direction of sleeve rotation no turning torque from the sleeve is transmitted to the ball and its screw 6s because of the interposed locked washer 8.

Means are provided for preventing undesired play of the ball on its seat 5 while the pressure sleeve is in ball releasing position. There is here shown a yieldable cushion device including a presser shoe I2 suitably fitted in the body 2 and normally pressing up against the adjacent bottom surface of the swivel ball 6. For

8 having one or more pendlong life and reliability a spring 13 mounted in the body 2 reacts on the shoe with enough pres sure to stabilize the ball when pressure of the clutch sleeve is reduced to permit the ball and its screw to tip and to rotate, or either separately.

The upper end of the clutch collar 1 is provided with a rim crotch 1c into which the nearby portion of the knob 6b may be tipped to an angle of about 90 degrees from the axis of the body 2. And the camera screw 6s has threaded thereon a camera locking, wheel-nut 5.

It is a feature of the invention that the clutch collar, the body 2, the clamp sleeve and the swivelled camera screw are all advantageously of dieoast embodiment.

What is claimed is:

1. A ball and socket assembly including a ball, a body in which the ball is rotatively and tiltably seated, a collar clutching the ball to its body seat, a finger sleeve screwed onto said body, and a member interlocked to the body against rotation and operatively engaging said collar and being turnably engaged by said sleeve so that the collar can be clamped by the sleeve onto the ball without rotative effect by the sleeve.

ROBERT J. PAGLIUSO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Burtch Feb. 11, 1878 Read Dec. 26, 1882 Green Nov. 4, 1930 Silberstein Aug. 10, 1937 Rapp Nov. 14, 1939 Brenner Oct. 26, 1943 Graham Mar. 15, 1949 Epprecht Apr. 10, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Sweden of 1949 Great Britain of 1930 France of 1947

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